Circuits Assembly - November 2007 - (Page 48)

iNEMI Roadmap Optoelectronic Substrates: Will They Happen? by Jack Fisher Acceptance will require overhauls to PWB and assembly operations. Ed.: This article can be viewed in its entirety at circuitsassembly. com/cms/content/view/5611. ptoelectronic interconnect is an alternative to copper that can provide increased bandwidth and other advantages for special applications. For example, OE interconnect does not have the problem of “noise” that copper interconnect can (a significant issue for high-speed communications). OE technology is also appealing for use in aircraft because it eliminates the weight of thousands of copper cables. Several companies and laboratories are currently working on new waveguide technology; therefore, OE substrate technology is continually changing. However, despite all the good research that has been accomplished, this technology is commercially stagnant. In North America, fiber cable is at the curb, but it has not entered the home, office or technical institutions. In Japan, fiber to the home is growing at a rapid pace. One reason for the lack of movement is that continued improvements in (less expensive) copper technology have kept pace with circuit bandwidth needs. Good design practice has also helped; however, as the thirst for faster signal processing continues, and home electronics or distribution systems become the workhorse of every household, there may be applications willing to pay for the initial additional cost. Optoelectronic substrates with embedded waveguides are still years from production, but continue to be discussed and compared with traditional substrates. Many manufacturing dilemmas associated with opto- O electronic substrates have to do with the cost and reliability of the optical fiber polymer interface. OE substrates will not become prevalent until the costperformance benefits are proven (Figure 1 online). This article discusses the current state of optoelectronic substrate technology and highlights some key issues surrounding its implementation, based on information from the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap. Higher data rates to support growing bandwidth requirements are certain to continue, and electrical transmission of signals will, presumably, soon run up against its limits. Telecommunications systems appear to be the primary driver for OE interconnect technology. There are currently optical wide area and local area networks using fiber-based OE technology for infrastructure and hybrid fiber/organic substrates in the supporting backplanes. Today’s systems are generally operating at 10 Gbps, with 40 Gbps coming soon and 100 Gbps being discussed. Signal conditioning technology has achieved bit rates on copper of 10 Gbps over high-performance and FR-4 boards. While this permits electrical 10G line-speed on the backplane, it also adds cost and complexity. Furthermore, power dissipation is increasing and edge density is limited. So optical interconnect solutions are still promising, but cost and technology reliability will determine the breakpoint. ■ Ed.: This article was originally published in Printed Circuit Design & Fabrication in September 2007. Jack Fisher is a consultant with Interconnect Technology Analysis (.i-tanalysis.com) and chair of the 2007 iNEMI Roadmap organic interconnect chapter; fish5er@mindspring.com. For information about the iNEMI Roadmap, visit inemi.org/cms/roadmapping/2007_inemi_roadmap.html. 48 Circuits Assembly NOVEMBER 2007 circuitsassembly.com http://circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/5611 http://circuitsassembly.com/cms/content/view/5611 http://i-t-analysis.com http://i-t-analysis.com http://inemi.org/cms/roadmapping/2007_inemi_roadmap.html http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - November 2007

Circuits Assembly - November 2007 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Focus on Business Global Sourcing On the Forefront Screen Printing Better Manufacturing Pb-Free Manufacturing from a Tier III EMS Perspective ‘Living Documents, Subject to Change’ Creating Ideal Solder Joints An Alternative Drying Process for MSDs ‘Customer Satisfaction is More than a Score’ Optoelectronic Substrates: Will They Happen? Tech Tips Wave Soldering Process Doctor Test and Inspection Getting Lean Materials World Equipment Advances Product Spotlight Assembly Insider Technical Abstracts Ad Index

Circuits Assembly - November 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.